Guard rail



C. BURTON `lune 21, 1932.

GUARD RAIL Plllllll |V.| i

Filed April 16, 1932 Patented June 21,Y 1932 UNITED ,siAi'us PATENT* f interes Price g CARROLL BURTON, oF.'.Tonivs'iowu,l rENNsYLvANIA Gunan RAIL Application filed .Aprill `16, 1932. Serial No. 605,685.

They are frequently made of sections of or-` dinary rolled rail or castings of steel or alloy steel of various configurations to meet requirements. Y

My invention aims to provide a guard rail which can be forged or pressed-from a substantially flat plate of,` uniformy thickness. This effects certain economies in the process of vmanufacture yet provides an article which is equal or in some cases superior to similar articles heretofore available. The improved guard rail is formed preferably of wrought or rolled plate stock-and is inherently strong `and well ableto resist the stresses to whichsuch articles are subjectedand at the same timeit is relatively llighter in Weight than guards heretofore available for the same class of service. This reduction of weight obvious.- `ly. effects a saving inmanufacturing costs. .The invention further consists in the novel design and arrangementV of the component parts of the structure, all as more fully hereinafter. pointed out in the specification VVand claims. t f Y In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention- Fig. 1 is atop plan view, showing'my improved guard mounted in juxtaposition to a traffic rail, the guard rail andqtraiic rail being carried by the usual cross ties;

. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the rail alone; y f

3 is an end elevation viewed Vfrom the left vend of Fig. 1; Y

F ig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on line lr-flofFigl.; i 'y Referring in Vdetail to the drawing,. nu merals represent any usual or suitable railway track supporting structure such as woodenicross ties commonly employed. Mounted on these ties by a plurality of spikes 12 is a guard guard rail, indicated generally at 14, embodying the present invention. My yimproved guard rail includes a rail seat portion 16, which provides a bearing for the base flanges of the traffic rail 17. Extending upwardly from the Vrail seat portion, the guard rail is formed with 'an upstanding wall 18 herein ref ferred to Aas. the outboard wall.l This out-l board wall is joined by a top portion l with an inboard wall portion 22, which is slightly inclined to the vertical, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The lower part of the inboard wall 22 merges Y intoa laterally extending bearing flange 24', This bearing flange has wings 26 at spaced intervals, which wings are apertured, asindicated at 28, for the reception of spikes orv other anchorage devices. i A

' To reinforce the guard rail, I provide a plurality of hollow ribs 30, which are formed i by bulging or outwardly expanding the in- `board wall`22 at suitable intervals. In the embodimentVV of the invention illustrated, these reinforcing ribs 8O are in line with the wings 26. The reinforcing ribs,l asV shown, are relatively wide at the bottom and converge upwardly, thus merging gradually into the upper'part of the inboard wall.

The Ycentral portion of both the outboard and inboard walls 18 and 22 are substanf tially or approximately parallel with 'the traffic rail 17. This parallel portion extends approximately from the points 32-34. Tn

lthis central'parallel portion `of the guard rail, the cross section thereof is of substa-n* tially channel-shape in cross section, the inboa-rd and outboard walls being spaced apart, as clearly shown in Fig. 4:. As these two walls approach the extremities of the guard rail, they merge closer and closer together until their inside faces come substantially or approximately into engagement with one another, for example, as along the lines indicated at 36 and 38 in Figs. l and 3. The contacting edges of the outboardv and'inboard walls 18 and 22 are bevelled off, as indicated at 40, on an angle which is acute to the substantially 4horizontal ysurface of the rail'seat portion of the guard rail. Tn the embodi# ment of the invention illustrated, theangle ofthe bevel is approximately forty-five degrees, although any other suitable angle may be used. To avoid a sharp corner on the side adjacent the traflic rail, the extremity of the wall 18 is faced 0E or ehamfered as indicated at 42.

In order to prevent track workmen or other `pedestrians 4from inadvertently wedging their feet between the guard rail-and traliic rail, laterally extending foot guards 44 are provided near each end of the guardV rail. These foot guards-at the extremities are formed with inclined portions 46, which are substantially flush with the beveled' ends 40 of the guard rail. Thesefoot guards are preferably formed of separate pieces of plate stockv which. are welded or `otherwise secured to theloutboard wall 18. Instead Yof welding the foot guards, as indicated for example at the left end of Fig. 2, they maybe secured by rivets 48, as indicated at the right end of Fig. 2. When the foot guards are riveted, theywill be provided with lugs 50 and 52 extending inwardly, respectively, from the downwardly extending fiange 54 and the end portion 4G of said foot guard.

The guard rail, except for the separately formed foot guardportions,is formed up from one single piece of latestockof suitable thickness by simple erging or bending operations. This provides av structure in whichthe several component parts such as the rail seat portion, outboard and inboard walls and bearing flange are all of substantially or approximately the ,same thickness in cross section. The merging or bringing together of the wallslS and 22 at each extremityA of the guard railprovides a simple yet effective manner of producing the re- Vquired Hareand at the same time strengthens and rigidifies the. extremity of the rail and also closes the channel-shaped'chamber between the inboard and outboardwalls and presents a `neat finish for the bevelled end Aof' the guard rail.y l

While I have described quite specifically the details of thejembodiment of the invention herein illustrated, it is to beunderstood thatI am not limited thereto except as expressly defined in the appended claims and such claims are to be interpreted as broadly .as isV consistent with the teachings of the `prior art.

What I claim is l. A one-piece guard rail comprisin longitudinal upright outboard and in oa-rd' walls joined at the top, a raillseat portion extended-laterally from saidL outboard wall and a bearing lliange extended laterally from the bottom of said inboard wall, all of said parts being of substantially uniform thickness in cross section, so that the rail Ais producible from fiat stock of substantially uniform thickness. Y Y Y l 2. A one-piece guard rail comprisinr lon- J gitudinal upright outboardpand inboard tended laterally from said outboard wall-and i a bearing flange extended laterally from the bottom of said inboard wall, allof saidjparts being of substantially uniform thickness -in crosssection, so that the rail is producible.

from` flat stockV of substantially uniform thickness, said inboard wall having a plurality of bulged reinforcing ribs, which merge into said bearing liange. Y if l 4. A one-piece guard rail comprisin -longitudinal upright outboard and .in card AWalls, which are pressed into engagement with one another at the extremities of the rail, b ut spaced apart intermediate said extremities to form al channel-like-cross sec tional contour, a rail seat portion extending laterally fromsaid outboard wall and a bearing Hang@ Xtending laterally from said inboard wall. A' mi 5. A lone-piece guard rail `c'ornprisin 4 longitudinal ,upright `outboard and in card walls, which are pressed into y.engagement with one another-at the extremities ofthe rail, but spaced apart intermediate said ex tremities lto form a channel-like cross sec- Y tional contour, a rail seat portion extending laterally from said outboard wall and a bearing flange extending laterallyfrom said inboard. wall, the end portions f of `said outboard vwall being dared-[andthe edges of the engaging portions of both of said walls being cut off or disposedV atanV acute angle vto the horizontal plane of 'said rail seat.

6. .A one-piece guard rail comprisin longitudinal upright outboard and in oard walls, which are pressed into engagement with one another at the extremities ofthe rail, but spaced apart intermediate said extremities to form a channel-like cross sectional contour, a rail seat portionextending laterally from said outboardwall and a bearing ange extending laterally from saidinboard wall, the end portions of said outboard Wall being flared and the edges of the engaging portions of both ofsaidwalls being `out off or disposed at an aeuteangle to the horizontal plane ofsaidv rail seat, and foot guards secured atthe extremities of said .outboard wall and having angularly disposed y*terminal portions substantiallyliush yvvithvthe extremities of said walls. Y

- ,7.@A guardrailpcomprising alone forging producible from a fiat plate of uniform thickness Aand having a substantially vertical outboard Wall, an inboard Wall in- Y clined at an angle thereto, said inboard Wall being spaced from the outboard Wall for the major part of its length but pressed into engagement therewith at its extremities, substantially horizontal rail seats and bearing iianges bent laterally from said outboard and inboard Walls and the exposed edges at the extremities of said Walls being bevelled 0E at an angle substantially as shown .and described.

8. A guard rail Comprising an elongated main body portion formed of a single piece of metal of uniform thickness throughout and pressed from flat stock to the desired shape and having separately formed foot i my name.

CARROLL BURTON. 

